Illuminating the Soviet past

The Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography in Moscow has collected 70 years of Soviet portrait photography into a single exhibition.

"We" is an exhibition consisting of 300 Soviet-era photographs, in the
words of the organizers brought together “to create kind and sincere
project to unite us all, something to make us look back at our past with
a positive feeling and to serve as a bridge between the past and the
future.” The gallery’s own collection occupies the central part of the
exposition, but works were also gathered from funds and private owners.

The pictures range from the early 1910s to the start of Perestroika,
showing “our great-grandfathers and grandfathers, our parents, and the
people who surround us.” Alongside images already acknowledged as
classics of world art, the exhibition introduces the visitor to the
oeuvre of less well-known photographers such as Vladimir Lagrange, Igor
Gnevashev and Pavel Krivtsov, as well as other artists never before seen
in print or exhibited.

The organizers believe that their careful selection procedure means
“there is not a single ‘alien’ photograph; each one of them belongs.” In
describing the effect of such cohesion they suggest that “out of
individual portraits there emerges a group portrait of an entire
generation that speaks volumes about our country and its people.” In
completing this impression, the exhibition also features a comprehensive
selection of children's portraits and color photographs from the covers
of the popular Soviet magazines Spark, Soviet Union, Soviet Photo, and Female Worker.